“My Beloved through the greatness of Thy love”

Lately, I’ve dusted off a book my parents gave me for my birthday during college. Then Sings My Soul is an anthology of about 150 hymns and the stories that inspired them. Today’s hymn was “Be Thou My Vision,” a very special song in my life and the lives of many of my college classmates. Specific origins of the hymn are uncertain due to its age (it was written around the 6th Century), so most of the story surrounded Patrick’s evangelism of Ireland. Did you know he baptized an estimated 100,000 people? I think that’s amazing.

I thought to look up the original version of the song to see if my Gaelic studies would enable me to read the original “Be Thou My Vision.” Not quite there yet, but I wanted to share a little of it, as well as the full English translation of the song before it was put in verse. I hope even those who know the hymn well will be, like me, refreshed by this prayer. Enjoy.

The opening lines, in old Irish:

Rop tú mo baile, a Choimdiu cride
Ní ní nech aile acht Rí secht nime
Rop tú mo scrútain i l-ló 's i n-aidche
Rop tú ad-chëar im chotlud caidche

And the English translation of the original text:

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens;
Be Thou my meditation by day and night,
May it be Thou that I behold even in my sleep

Be Thou my speech, be Thou my understanding,
Be Thou with me, be I with Thee
Be Thou my Father, be I Thy son,
Mayst Thou be mine, may I be Thine

Be Thou my battle-shield, be Thou my sword
Be Thou my dignity, be Thou my delight;
Be Thou my shelter, be Thou my stronghold
Mayst Thou raise me up to the company of the angels

Be Thou every good to my body and soul
Be Thou my kingdom in heaven and on earth;
Be Thou solely chief love of my heart
Let there be none other, O high King of Heaven

Till I am able to pass into Thy hands,
My Treasure, my Beloved through the greatness of Thy love;
Be Thou alone my noble and wondrous estate
I seek not men nor lifeless wealth

Be Thou the constant guardian of every possession and every life
For our corrupt desires are dead at the mere sight of Thee
Thy love in my soul and in my heart –
Grant this to me, O King of the seven heavens

O King of the seven heavens, grant me this:
Thy love to be in my heart and in my soul
With the King of all, with him after victory won by piety,
May I be in the kingdom of heaven O brightness of the Son

Beloved Father, hear, hear my lamentations
Timely is the cry of woe of this miserable wretch
O heart of my heart, whatever befall me,
O Ruler of all, be Thou my vision